The Dragon Master
by BP-504Skylar
Summary: Dragons of all species are disappearing from Skylands! When all bar one have vanished, Master Eon sets the Swap Force up to investigate. The clues lead them nowhere and soon they turn to give up, but when Fire Kraken ends up missing too, more pieces of the puzzle start to fall together. Who is the Dragon Master? And what does he want with Skylands' dragons?
1. A New Mission

Hugo made a cautious dash to where Master Eon stood, watching Skylands from the balcony of the Main Hall; the Mabu hesitant to give the elder Portal Master his report. Several more dragons were missing, and it appeared Spyro and Cynder were among them…

"M-Master Eon!" the Mabu called as he approached the Portal Master. "I… I-I'm afraid we-…"

"I am aware of the recent dragon disappearance, Hugo," Eon spoke before the Mabu could finish. "Flynn and a few of the other Skylanders have informed me."

"… I-It appears Spyro and Cynder disappeared after that attack too, sir," Hugo continued softly, stepping up beside him. Master Eon exhaled heavily, keeping his gaze cast out over the scattered islands.

"It seems we'll have to call on the Swap Force again for their assistance… Hugo, send Flynn and two Skylanders out to find them."

"Yes, Master Eon!"

* * *

Cloudbreak was one of the many islands scattered around the mainland of Skylands; a secure island covered in forestation and civilisation. Woodburrow was set on this island, and home to a set of sixteen Skylanders who'd resided there after the eruption of Mt Cloudbreak – the island's volcano. The Swap Force were peculiar Skylanders; able to swap their top and bottom halves with another when they pleased, but they hadn't yet heard of the dragons' disappearance…  
On that day, one half of them had volunteered to help Tessa out with some of her roles as Chieftess, neither one regretting their decision.

"S-Someone wanna give me a hand?" Tessa called, struggling with the large stack of scrolls she'd just carried out from behind the Great Hollow. She yelped when she felt them start to fall, but a set of 'suckers' were quicker to catch them.

"How 'bout six?" Wash Buckler inquired, sitting back on his tentacles after catching the falling scrolls. Tessa laughed and set the ones she was carrying down at the far side of the Hollow.

"Great catch!"

Fire Kraken looked up from where he was scribbling a signature onto those scrolls; succeeding at mocking Tessa's own. He shot a glance at Boom Jet, who was occupied in signing his own pile.

"You sure have a lot of these, Tess… What are they all for?" he asked. Tessa wandered over and added a handful more scrolls to his pile.

"Wouldn't I like to know? They all just sound like complaints to me," she admitted, peering over the Air Swapper's shoulder. "How many more you got to go, Boom Jet?"

"Not many…" said-Swapper declared, sitting back and dropping the pen he was writing with before shaking his hand. "But it's painful…"

"This is why I need extra helpers. Being Chieftess is hard work!"

"Tessa!"

Everyone looked over to the doorway of the Great Hollow at the voice; Flynn grinning a little upon seeing the fox-girl.

"Oh hey Flynn! What brings you back to Cloudbreak!?" Tessa smiled, noting the two Skylanders that had appeared beside the balloonist. According to their expressions, something must have been wrong…

"Trouble," the first Skylander, Gill Grunt spoke up; his harpoon-gun resting on his shoulder. "Every dragonoid on the main island's gone missing!"

"Including Spyro and Cynder!" the second, Pop Thorn added, bouncing on his paws uncomfortably. The eight Swappers exchanged concerned glances; Fire Kraken getting to his feet in alarm.

"Wait, _all _dragonoids?"

"Excluding you of course," Gill Grunt went on. "Seems our dragon-napper has never heard of the Swap Force…"

The kraken looked over at Wash Buckler, who had recently put the scrolls down and was now nodding his head in understanding.

"What's Eon want us to do?"

"Find out where the dragons are!" Pop Thorn almost blurted out. "They're all gone; all gone! Spyro, Cynder, Flashwing, Bash, Zap, Sunburn, Whirlwind, Sonic Boom, Scratch, Camo, Drobot, Slobber Tooth, Warnado AND-…"

Gill Grunt cut the Pufferthorn off before he could continue; waiting to see if the Swappers were to put anything in.

"… Half of them aren't even dragons," Rubble Rouser pointed out, shooting a glance back at Fire Kraken. "Isn't Sunburn a, you know… a phoenix?"

"Phoenix-dragon hybrid more like…" Fire Kraken corrected sceptically, flicking the end of his tail as he looked up in thought. "Maybe that explains why this 'dragon-napper' is after dragonoids and not just regular dragons."

"Whatever the reason, we're the ones to figure out who's behind this," Wash Buckler put in. "Before they discover they've missed a dragon…"

Fire Kraken swallowed as a shudder ran down his spine. How long would that take…?

* * *

**Hmm, look out, Kraken! You're being hunted! :3  
First chapter most likely sucks, right? But yeah, I don't blame because it is first chapter… **

**Next chapter will be halved – first half the Swappers will have started their 'puzzle game' and second half will be from our dragon-napper's point-of-view… well, not literally, but you get what I mean… **

**So, instead of listening to me talk, let's get on with the next chapter!**


	2. Heart of the Kraken

Dread reached them when they arrived on the main island; Pop Thorn was right. Not one dragonoid from any element was to be seen; the Swap Force splitting off to confront with their elements individually. Blast Zone hovered at a close distance behind Fire Kraken as the Swappers made their way into the mine to Lava Lakes Railway; the kraken nervously twisting the ends of his tail between his hands. He'd never been so nervous or scared, but knowing he was the only dragon-like creature left in the whole of Skylands made him uncomfortable…

"You need to relax, Kraken. Because we know about this 'dragon-napper', we have an advantage of how to avoid him," Blast Zone spoke up, trying to reassure his friend. Fire Kraken paused and looked ahead of them, dwelling on the furnace knight's words.

"Spyro would have known… Same with Cynder…" he said softly, glancing back. "They would have figured something out when the others never returned."

"Would they have guessed 'dragon-napper'?"

"Swap Force!"

Fire Kraken shrieked and scrambled up onto Blast Zone at the cry; Hot Dog then bounding out to them with Eruptor, Smolderdash and Ignitor on his tail. The furnace knight struggled to hold the kraken steady, toppling backwards and taking them both to the ground.

"Sorry for the surprise greeting…" Smolderdash apologised, dragging Hot Dog away from the Swappers by his collar.

"Nice to see you back on the mainland though," Ignitor insisted. "You've heard about the disappearance of our dragons?"

"Dragons, dinosaurs, flying creatures; more like it…" Eruptor grumbled. Blast Zone cautiously pushed Fire Kraken off him as he sat up.

"The reason we're here is to figure out who's behind the disappearance of the dragons, friends," he reported, rattling about a bit as he got up. "And to keep an eye on the last of them…"

He indicated back to Fire Kraken; said-dragonoid still shaking from Hot Dog's greeting. The fire-pup cautiously padded over to him and nudged his side.

"Heheh, sorry. Guess I got over-excited again…"

"As usual," Smolderdash laughed, looking up at Fire Kraken. "I think you're good to relax. No dragon-napper's down here."

"B-But, wasn't S-Sunburn-…?"

"He was on a patrol flight with Scratch and Whirlwind," Eruptor put in, leading them through the tunnels of the mine to the main railway entrance. "That's when those two went missing also."

Blast Zone and Fire Kraken exchanged a glance. That seemed unusual, but from what they'd heard, most of the dragoniods that were missing had wings and flew anyway.

"We just need to figure out what he wants with dragons of Skylands; of all creatures!" Ignitor protested, nudging Flameslinger; the Fire elf nodding his head and cautiously handing over a square of paper. "But, we found this a little concerning…"

"Set in Sunburn's nest after we got back from patrol this morning," Flameslinger added, becoming aware that the others had joined them. Fire Kraken took the paper from Ignitor and read it carefully; the meanings of some of the symbols soon becoming clear to his head.

_Phoenix-dragons were never meant to exist, Sky-freaks.  
If you're looking for your friend, good luck.  
He's probably a pile of feathers over my fire place about now!_

" … 'Signed, The Dragon Master'…" the Swapper read aloud, grabbing the others' attention. "Who's the Dragon Master?"

"That's what we want to know," Smolderdash admitted, taking the note from him. "But apparently other Skylanders have found warnings exactly the same in other dragonoid nests."

"We should check in with the other Swappers," Blast Zone declared in heist, shooting a glance at Fire Kraken. "Maybe they've found something more about our mystery 'Dragon Master'…"

**Elsewhere… Somewhere in the midst of the land around the ancient volcano… **

Spyro groaned as he lifted his head, finding he wasn't able to lift it very high; chains draped around his muzzle, and from the weight on his wings, they were probably chained too. With his head resting on his paws, he only blinked as he looked around; barred walls blocking every side of his vision.

"Where… W-Where am I?" he asked aloud, cautiously lifting his head again.

"S-Spyro?"

The purple dragon drew in a sigh of relief at the familiar voice.

"That you, Cynder?"

"Yeah… W-Where are you?"

Spyro looked around his prison, listening to the dragoness as she spoke. She sounded so close…

"Beside you?" he guessed, crawling as closely as he could go to the left side of the bars. He didn't find Cynder staring back at him, but it was a creature familiar to his eyes; her ears drooped low at the side of her head.

"Oh no… Guys, he got Spyro…"

Said-dragon blinked in alarm. She sounded so weak…

"I-Isn't that now all of us?"

"It… I-It can't be…"

"Whirlwind… Flashwing…" Spyro breathed, uncomfortably lying on his side. "What's going on? Do you know where we are?"

"I wish I knew," Flashwing spoke up, edging to the front of her cage. Spyro could see her chains tightening on her body, trying to pull her back into the shadows. "All I can think about is food…"

"We, haven't had anything to eat since we were caught…" Whirlwind added. "And… that was yesterday morning."

"Funny. I was taken yesterday afternoon…"

**Sunburn, **Spyro guessed, loosening the chains a little so he could at least sit up. "And Cynder and I this morning… Could our captor be working in a pattern?"

"Working in a pattern, as you say, would make things too easy! Your Skylander friends would expect me to strike!"

The dragonoids fell silent at the voice; Cynder poking her nose through the bars and nudging Spyro to signify where she was.

"Already I don't like this place," she whispered; chains clattering against the floor.

"Neither do I…" Spyro replied softly, sitting back when the door swung open and a tall man in a long cape stepped into the hallway in the middle of their cages. He spun a circle once and began walking; long fingers curled around the top of a steady cane.

"Hello, my dear dragon friends! How are all of you enjoying your stay!?" he announced, peering into each cage as he passed. Spyro watched each dragonoid react as he peeked in at them; most of them backing up into the shadows.

"Y-You're a monster!" Whirlwind bravely screeched; the purple dragon giving her a look of alarm. "W-What do you want with us!?"

The man looked over with a fake grin and wandered over; Whirlwind standing her ground as she faced him.

"Oh, you're all rare for something; you in particular, my dear, are in here for your beauty like that of a unicorn, but the wings of a dragon," he explained, examining her features as he spoke. "And your friend here, well… Everyone's heard the legend of the rare purple dragon, but none have dared catch him."

Spyro lowered his head with a soft growl as the man left the unicorn-hybrid and stood before him.

"And… I'm the one who caught him!"

"Who are you!?" Spyro snapped, ignoring the man's taunt. Said-human straightened up, leaning on his cane as he walked to the opposite end of the cages and faced them all with the same snarky grin he had entered with.

"You may call me, my friends… The Dragon Master!"

"M-Master!"

The Dragon Master lost his grin and straightened up again; disapproval crossing his face as a blue-grey Pufferthorn ran down the corridor, stumbling over his tiny feet. Spyro noted he looked oddly like a recolour of Pop Thorn…

"What is it, Squeaks? You're going to bore my guests…" Dragon Master groaned, rolling his eyes in annoyance. The Pufferthorn panted softly then deeply inhaled.

"You, um… You well, kinda, um… missed a dragon…" he explained, curling in on himself a little. The Dragon Master glared down at him.

"What was that?"

Squeaks shuddered, flapping his tiny green wings once before putting on a brave face.

"You missed a dragon in Skylands!" he reported, swallowing his fear as he raised his voice before his master. "A-A kraken, at t-that!"

"A kraken, hm?" Dragon Master repeated, looking away slyly, ignoring the startled gasps that escaped the Skylanders. "Puzzle again, my dear assistant. I want this 'kraken' in my midst by tomorrow!"

With a broken cackle, he exited the room; Squeaks then hastily scratching something onto a scroll and then bolting out after him. The dragonoids confronted, all worried at what they had heard.

"Spyro? Was he talking about, who I thought he was talking about?" Sunburn questioned.

"Oh please, let it not be…" Whirlwind pleaded, glancing at the purple dragon.

"I hate to say it, Whirly, but… it is…" Spyro breathed, hanging his head. "Fire Kraken…"

* * *

**Dun-dun-dun! A crazy Dragon Master appeared! XD  
There he is, readers; the dreaded master of the dragons… well, kinda… idk…  
And his minion; Squeaks… secretly he wants to help the Skylanders; don't tell his master! **

**Anyway!  
We'll find out why he needs the dragons sooner or later… There'll be a reason thrown in somewhere…**  
**Next chapter!**

**An um, apologies for the slow update... just been kinda focused on packing for NZ and my formal at the end of the week ^^**


	3. Hunted

The Swap Force were gathered around the notes their mystery Dragon Master had written to the other Skylanders after capturing the already-missing dragonoids. Each one he read made Fire Kraken shudder and he had to sit away from the other Swappers while they confronted.

"There seems to be a connection to all of them…" Boom Jet concluded, setting down one note while picking up another. "Jet-Vac explained to Free Ranger and I that Whirlwind and Scratch had been taken yesterday afternoon, while Sonic Boom and Warnado were gone earlier that morning."

"Hmm, Eruptor said the same about Sunburn," Blast Zone put in. "Apparently he was on the same patrol flight as Whirlwind and Scratch."

"And then there's Bash, Slobber Tooth and Flashwing, who none of the Earth Skylanders knew a thing about," Rubble Rouser reported, exchanging a glance of concern with Doom Stone.

"Said not one knew when they went missing," said-Swapper added. Wash Buckler listened to their conversation but didn't put in any opinion towards it; solely focusing on the notes before them. Some sounded repetitive to others, but he knew they all led to the same thing…

"Does Dragon Master give any clues as to where he may have taken our dragon-friends?" the mermasquid finally spoke, catching the others off-guard as they each quickly grabbed a note and re-read over it to see if they'd missed something. Wash Buckler only face-palmed…

"The one about CCynder'ss mentionss ssomething about a lair…" Rattle Shake pointed out, setting his note to one side. "But… that'ss all that iss ssaid."

"Interesting…" Spy Rise murmured as he read and re-read Drobot's note. "Here, it sounds like the Master's given us a clue of some sort."

"Well, read it out then, dude!" Wash Buckler urged; the other Swappers loosely huddling around.

"_'Techies!  
To find your dear friend, who has gears in his head;  
Search for my colours of blue, white and red!  
_Signed… The Dragon Master…" Spy Rise said the last line blankly, not finding the note amusing at all.

"Well, at least it gives us some sort of clue," Boom Jet admitted, taking the note from the techno-spider. "But, how can we 'search for his colours' when-…?"

The Air Swapper was cut off at a startled shriek behind them. Fire Kraken had leaped to his feet; eyes wide as he stared at the arrow that had recently shot past his head and slammed into a tree at a further distance. He started shivering and sat down again, not before Rubble Rouser came over and grabbed his arm; leading him back to their group.

"Could be one of Flameslinger's; relax Kraken," he reassured, setting said-Swapper between Blast Zone and Stink Bomb. Fire Kraken's eyes remained wide in their surprised position.

"It didn't, l-look like one of F-Flame's arrows!" he stammered. "I-I should know, b-being a Fire e-elemental myself…"

"… Would the Dragon Master try to kill something he's trying to capture?" Hoot Loop questioned, bringing them back onto their topic. Wash Buckler only shrugged.

"Who knows. He sounds like a freaky kinda villain though…"

"I don't care if he's freaky!" Fire Kraken suddenly blurted out, startling all of them. "I just know, I don't want to be out here anymore!"

And with that he took off, running for the Main Hall and disappearing inside. The other Swappers exchanged confused glances.

"Okay… Back to the notes…" Boom Jet urged, glancing back at the table between them, but in Fire Kraken's panic, he'd upset each note and they'd all been blown off the table. This could be fun…  
Inside the Main Hall, Fire Kraken had cowered against a wall; shudders running through his body. Why was he so afraid? Now that he knew the Dragon Master was looking for him, he had no reason to worry; the other Swappers would make sure he wasn't captured like the other dragonoids had been, but something tugged at the kraken like a bothering force. Something that told him he needed to find the other dragonoids...

"But I can't," he told himself aloud. "That just gives me more risk of being captured… There has to be something I can do…"

"Fire Kraken?"

Said-dragonoid jumped, landing on his tail painfully as he stumbled backwards and faced the Mabu that had spoken.

"O-Oh, it's only you, Hugo…"

"What are you doing in here? Shouldn't you be helping the rest of the Swap Force?" said-Mabu questioned, adjusting his glasses with a look of concern.

'If you haven't forgotten, I'm a dragon too,' Fire Kraken wanted to say, but he knew otherwise. "I… I-I'm kinda jittery right now… I don't want to s-startle them or anything."

"I can understand in that case," Hugo went on with a slight smile. "Stay in here as long as you need to. Master Eon and I are in the next room if you need anything."

With that, the Mabu left; Fire Kraken getting up and rubbing his aching tail. It wasn't the Swap Force he could startle; it was himself…

"Get it together, Kraken…" he muttered, lifting his head with a deep inhale. "Nothing's gonna get ya; you'll always have the Swappers on your tail."

Feeling the slightest bit more confident, he left the Main Hall and headed back to where he'd left the Swap Force; Boom Jet now having an argument with Stink Bomb and Blast Zone over something inaudible to the kraken.

"Hey! Hey you!"

Fire Kraken stopped in his tracks and glanced over to who had called out to him; a Pufferthorn then bustling over in his direction. The Fire Swapper noted his colours; blue-grey, green and dark-blue. That wasn't Pop Thorn…

"C-Can you help me, please? Mister Dragon sir?" the Pufferthorn pleaded, looking up at the Swapper.

"Uhh sure, what do you need help with?" Fire Kraken asked, tilting his head to one side in confusion.

"I… I-I'm looking for someone. He's, yellow, red and blue, has a really long tail, and always carries a roman candle with him!"

Fire Kraken didn't know whether to sigh in disappointment or act surprised. This kid really had no idea…

"Keep looking; you can't miss him…" he admitted blankly, spinning his sparkler-staff once in his hand. The Pufferthorn darted forward in one direction, then in the other. He flopped onto the grass in defeat minutes later with a heavy sigh.

"The one you're looking for is right here…" Fire Kraken proclaimed loudly, tossing the sparkler-staff backwards and wrapping his tail around it when it fell. The Pufferthorn awkwardly got up and faced him again, grinning sheepishly.

"O-Oh right, I knew that!" he insisted, scuttling back over to the dragonoid. "W-Well, I'm Squeaks and I'm a HUGE fan of the dragons of Skylands!"

The two then fell into conversation; Fire Kraken having no idea of the trouble he was in. The Swap Force heard their quietened chatter and a few of them briefly looked away from the notes to see what their dragon-friend was up to.

"Hey, who's the puffer with Kraken?" Stink Bomb pointed out, most likely winning the argument.

"Never seen him before," Boom Jet put in. "Doesn't even look like he's an Air elemental."

"Looks like he could be related to Pop Thorn…" Rubble Rouser admitted. Wash Buckler looked up and followed their gaze, frowning a little at the Pufferthorn.

"Whoever the kid is, I've already got a bad feeling about him…" he insisted. Blast Zone nodded in agreement.

"I'm sensing something bad too… Already I don't like it…"

"… Stink, Rubble, Rattle; head over and see who Kraken's new 'friend' is," Wash Buckler commanded. "Anyone who isn't a Skylander we have to be cautious around."

The three mentioned Swappers nodded and left their group, wandering over to Fire Kraken and the Pufferthorn. Squeaks backed up a little when he saw the others approaching them.

"Who'ss your friend, Kraken?" Rattle Shake questioned, eyeing the little Pufferthorn sceptically.

"Huh? Oh, that's Squeaks; says he's Pop Thorn's second-cousin," Fire Kraken explained, glancing back at said-Pufferthorn; Squeaks peeking out from behind him and nervously waving at the Swappers.

"H-Hi!"

"Hmm…" Stink Bomb breathed, not seeming convinced. "Kraken, could we talk to you for a second? Alone?"

Fire Kraken shrugged but nodded his head, telling Squeaks to stay put as he stepped over and joined the three that had joined them. Squeaks watched them, then glancing at the radio-collar fastened around his neck; the radio itself hidden by the collar's buckle.

"Master, I found the kraken," he whispered, hoping the Swappers hadn't heard him.

"_Excellent work, Squeaks. What's his condition?"_

"Uhh… Stable?" the Pufferthorn reported in confusion, watching the Swappers. "But, he has more of those Skylanders with him. I-It'd be hard to do anything!"

_"Well, lead him away from them! I've been told they're the Swap Force; the tricky ones… Don't let him swap with any of them!"_

Squeaks looked a little confused at what his master had said, but he didn't really have time to question; the Swappers were walking back to him.

"Y-Yes master! But, those Skylanders are coming back!" he warned. "I-I gotta go!"

"So Squeaks, is it?" Rubble Rouser questioned, folding his arms. Said-Pufferthorn felt a little intimidated by their stern glares…

"Y-Yeah, that's me."

"From what Kraken told us, you're a fan of our dragons," the Earth Swapper continued. "Has he told you that all of them are missing from Skylands?"

Squeaks gasped in surprise, hoping it wasn't too noticeable that he'd faked it.

"Oh, t-that's horrible! Kraken, why didn't you tell me!?"

"I-I was about to!" Fire Kraken said quickly, slightly wincing at a sharp elbow in the side from Stink Bomb. "But, I thought it would be better if I didn't…"

"W-Why?"

The Swappers exchanged a glance; Squeaks' nerves growing as Rattle Shake leant over him, his tongue flickering in and out to irritate the Pufferthorn.

"What do you know, about the disappearance of our dragonss?"

"N-Nothing!" Squeaks admitted, backing up a little. The Swappers advanced on him. "H-Honest!"

"Oh, so you don't know the Dragon Master?" Rubble Rouser inquired. The Pufferthorn gulped at his master's name; what could he do?  
In the end, he fell onto the grass, sobbing softly; the Swappers partially confused.

"Okay, okay! I do know him!" Squeaks wailed, biting his bottom lip as he tried to calm himself. "H-He's my master and… I-I'm the one who tells him the location of d-dragons!"

The rest of the Swap Force had joined them once they'd heard the pufferthorn's wailing; Wash Buckler exchanging a glance of concern with Fire Kraken.

"I can't believe I'm saying this… Kraken, you gotta run. Run now…"

"But… But I-…" Fire Kraken stumbled over his words; totally confused on what to do. A hand on his shoulder made him think up his decision quicker.

"We'll be right behind you, Kraken," Trap Shadow insisted; Stink Bomb, Hoot Loop and Night Shift sharing a grin. The Fire Swapper returned the grin nervously before looking back at Squeaks; the Pufferthorn back on his feet with a look of guilt across his face.

"… How long does it usually take Dragon Master to find a dragon?" he asked, just so they could proceed with caution. Squeaks looked up.

"Not long…"

"I'd start running, buddy…" Rubble Rouser urged. "Go on; we'll deal with spiky here."

Fire Kraken nodded and ran off; the Stealthies and Teleporters darting off after him. They headed into the depths of the Falling Forest; not looking back once they were in. With them out of their sights, the remaining Swappers faced Squeaks.

"Right then, wanna tell us a little more about your master, kid?"

* * *

**Final line there said by Wash Buckler; if you're wondering…  
Anyway, let the intensity begin! It all started with a mad dragon chase through the forest… wow… longest chapter so far… *dies* **

**And my little riddle-puzzle there I had Spy Rise read; yeah... ignore that... Oh, have you met my stereotypical Rattle Shake? Yeah, he's there too...**

**Squeaks ain't so loyal is he, but he's only one of many of the Dragon Master's minions. If I told you them all, I'd probably bore you, but… I can say that our small group of Swappers get attacked by his team of Shadow Dragons…  
That is all… **

**… Run Kraken, run! And don't stop running until you know it's safe!  
Which, will be never… *author cackles* … don't mind me...  
Next chapter up soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Fire Kraken's P.O.V  
**I never thought I could run so fast…  
Even though I couldn't hear the others behind me, I knew I was being followed and that slightly made me feel unnerved. The Falling Forest is actually a nice place; not as home-like as the forests in Woodburrow but it's good enough.

"Stop running…"

I didn't, and ran right into Stink Bomb; said-skunk yelping in surprise as we fell to the ground. Quickly he pushed me off him and got up; Trap Shadow reappearing beside him with a grin of amusement.

"And I thought the Swap Force were straight," he snickered.

"Shut up…" Stink Bomb hissed; his ears pricking at the familiar sounds of Night Shift and Hoot Loop's teleportation-spells. Ignoring them, I wandered over and sat on a fallen tree log; resting my head in my hands as I caught my breath. That was actually quite a painful run…

"You okay, Kraken?" Hoot Loop inquired as he hovered over and sat beside me. I took in a shaky breath and shook my head.

"I'm possibly being tracked, scared out of my mind and running from the only friends I have," I started, rubbing the middle of my forehead in frustration. "…Should I be okay?"

"Forget I asked then…" the owl-magician said softly, looking away. The other Swappers wandered over to join us, either finding a spot on the log or sitting on rocks scattered around the area.

"Despite the running and missing everything, this place is really quite peaceful," Stink Bomb admired, breaking the silence amongst us as he looked around.

"Falling Forest, huh? Wonder why it's called that…" Night Shift doubted, impatiently drumming his fists together.

"I was told that back before we were found by the Portal Masters, trolls attacked this forest; cutting down it's trees and everything," Hoot Loop explained, answering the Undead Swapper's question. "Now that they've been run out of here, the forest has a chance to grow back."

"… Falling Forest in the sense that the trees were falling… right…"

I listened to their conversation, but said nothing. I just felt bothered by the whole situation, and confused. We still hadn't found out why the Dragon Master needed dragons, or more importantly, why he needed the ones from Skylands…

"Kraken, you should rest," Trap Shadow's voice cut my thoughts. "We could be running again tomorrow."

"Not that I want to…" I replied blankly, sliding off the tree log and resting the back of my head against it. "I just don't get it…"

"Not one of us does," Stink Bomb admitted, copying my action and sitting beside me. "That's what makes it a mystery…"

"Huh…" I breathed, turning onto my side and facing away from them. "Wonder why…"

The last thing I heard was Night Shift mutter something about the rest of them getting some sleep while he took watch; being Undead and all, he didn't need it like we did. As uncomfortable as I was, the run had tired me out and soon I was curled up in a deep sleep. I rarely heard the scuffles of feet across the ground and a panicked cry from the other Swappers, but I did find I wouldn't be getting up for a while after something heavy collided with the side of my head…

* * *

***snigger* OOC-Swappers are OOC...**

**This chappie short cause last one was too long…  
Something from Kraken's point-of-view to change things up a bit, kay? :3  
It was expected right? ^^ **

**Next chapter we're back with the Dragon Master. Squeaks managed to escape the Swap Force so, now he can see how his master's 'collection' is coming together…**


End file.
